Inspection device



Jan. 12, 1960 TL ETAL 2,920,524

- INSIEECTION. DEVICE Filed 001' 25, 1954 INVENTORS. RICHARD J. BARTLETT8| ROBERT W. HOMPE BY I MM FIG.5. W

' ATTORNEYS V United States Patent 'Ofilice 2,920,524 Patented Jan. 12,1960 INSPECTION DEVICE Richard J. Bartlett, Chalfonte, and Robert W.Hompe,

Ithan, Pa., assignors to Smith, Kline & French Laboratorles,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvan a Application October 25,1954, Serial No. 464,400

3 Claims. (CI. 88-14) This invention relates to an inspection deviceand, more particularly, to means for comparing surface indicia appearingon a pair of adjacently positioned articles.

It is a commonly known practice to inspect printing or other indicia oncylindrical or similarly shaped articles for correctness and for qualityof lithographic reproduction. While this may be done by hand bycomparing a newly printed article with an original, the hand inspectionprocess relies to asubstantial extent upon the exactness of manipulationand observation performed by an inspector.

It is the object of this invention to facilitate an inspection processof this type and to minimize the possibility of error resulting fromobservational or manipulational failures on the part of an operator.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mechanicalapparatus by means of which an article to be inspected and a masterarticle with which the article being inspected is to be compared can besimultaneously moved below a screen, thus providing simultaneousscanning of equivalent portions of the two articles being compared.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means forilluminating simultaneously scanned portions of the surfaces of a pairof articles and to provide means for magnifying the simultaneouslyscanned surface portions.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus showing the front sidethereof;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the apparatus on the trace3-3 shown in Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken through the apparatus on the trace4-4 shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the trace 55 shown in Figure3; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section through a portion of the apparatus asindicated by the trace 6-6 in Fig ure 5.

The inspection device which is shown generally at 10 in Figure 1includes a base plate 12 which is mounted on four feet 14. A front panel16 extends upwardly from the front of the base plate 12, a rear panel 18extends upwardly from the rear of the base plate 12, a side panel 20extends upwardly from the left side of the base plate 12 as viewed fromthe front thereof, and a hinged access door 22 is hinged to theright-hand end of the rear plate 18 as viewed from the front thereof. Acover plate 24 extends across the top of the enclosure formed by thebase, side and end plates. The top plate 24 is attached directly to therear plate 18 and is joined to the front plate 16 through an inclinedplate 26 which extends upwardly and backwardly from the top edge of thefront plate 16 at an angle of approximately 30 from the horizontal.

The inclined plate 26 is provided with a rectangular opening inalignment with a rectangular tube 28 which is attached thereto andextends upwardly therefrom. A cap 30 is fitted over the uppermost end ofthe rectangular tube 28 and is adapted to mount a magnifying lens 32through which the interior of the enclosure may be viewed.

A support plate 34 is mounted vertically within the enclosure adjacentto and spaced from the side wall 20 thereof and is adapted to rotatablymount a pair of horizontally extending shafts 36 and 38. The shaft 36extends through the side panel 20 of the enclosure and has afiixed tothe end thereof a knurled knob 40. A gear 42 is alfixed'to the shaft 36and is adapted to drive the shaft 38 through an idler gear 43 in meshwith a gear 44 aifixed to the shaft 38. The gear 43 is mounted on a stubshaft 37 mounted on the plate 34. The gears 42, 43 and 44 are of equaldiameter and thus, when the knob 40 is rotated, the shafts 36 and 38will rotate together at equal rates and in the same direction.

The shafts 36 and 38 extend to the right through the mounting plate 34,as viewed in Figures 3 and 5, and mount mandrels 46 and 48 which arepreferably covered with a friction material such as rubber and areadapted to receive articles to be viewed. The two articles 50 and 52shown in the drawings positioned on the mandrels 46 and 48,respectively, which are in turn rotated by shafts 36 and 38,respectively, are shown by way of example as body sleeves ofconventional inhalers. These body sleeves are printed on the exteriorthereof with indicia identifying the product, the manufacturer, themethod of use prescribed, etc.

A rod 54 is atfixed to and extends horizontally from the mounting plate34 on an axis generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the shafts36 and 38. A plate 56 is hingedly mounted to the shaft 54 and isprovided with slots 58 and 60 positioned therein so as to extend transversely of the surfaces of the two articles 50 and 52, respectively, ina direction parallel to the longitudinal axes thereof and in a locationso as to be visible through and magnified by the magnifying lens 32.

A lamp 62 is mounted in a conventional socket structure 64 which isafiixed to the rear wall 18 of the enclosure and is powered throughconductors 66 in a conventional manner. A lamp shield 68 is positionedover the upper portion of the lamp to prevent rays of light emanatingfrom the lamp from passing directly upwardly through the tube 28 to theeyes of a viewer through the magnifying lens 32. It will be evident thatthe lamp 62 will serve to illuminate the surfaces of the articles 50 and52 visible through the slots 58 and 60 in the scanning plate 66.

When the apparatus is in use, the hinged side door 22 will be opened anda pair of articles to be compared will be positioned on the mandrels 46and 48 in such a manner that corresponding surface areas thereof arevisible through the slots 58 and 60 in the scanning plate. With thearticles thus positioned, the scanning plate is rotated about its hingedpin 54 into the position shown in the figures, the lamp 64 powered toprovide the necessary illumination, the door 22 closed to eliminateexternal and possibly confusing illumination, and then by rotation ofthe knob 40 the articles to be compared are simultaneously rotatedpresenting corresponding portions of their surface area at the slots 58and 60 in the scanning plate for observation in magnified form throughthe magnifying lens 32.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the invention provides asimple and easily operated apparatus by means of which correspondingsurface areas of two articles may be compared and by means of which suchcomparison can be accomplished with the minimum of possibility of erroron the part of an operator.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for comparison of cylindrical articles, comprising a basemember, avertically disposed support means. a p o a ja a pa l rolle chrota ably supported at one. end thereof'by said support means, one ofsaid rollers being adapted to receive and position. a master article andthe other of sai rollers being adapted to receive and removablypositionan article to be com? pared with said master article, means forsynchronously driving said rollers in the same direction, and meansthrough which may be simultaneously viewed corresponding limitedportions of. said articles brought inte viewing position by said drivingmeans.

2. A device according to claim 1, comprising. an en: closure; for saiddevice, illuminating means-Within said enclosure, said viewing meansvbeing adapted for viewing from the exterior of the enclosure andincluding means magnifying the viewed limited portions of the articles.

3. A device according to claim 1, comprising opaque means interposedbetween said viewing means and certain portions of said articles,thereby preventing viewing of said certain portions and permittingviewing of said corresponding limited portions for scanning thereof.

Referencesflited in the file of" this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS511,470 Stone Dec. 26, 1893 2,026,330 Tauschek Dec. 31, 1935 2,161,594Ruth June 6, 1939 2,425,197 Montague Aug. 5, 1947 2,427,256 ButscherSept. 9, 1947 2,570,489 Ryder Oct. 9, 1951

